Multimedia-based video game distribution

ABSTRACT

A method includes receiving a multimedia data stream at a device and sending data of a first channel of the multimedia data stream to a display device to generate a presentation of available video games. The method includes receiving user input selecting a first video game of the available video games and sending an identification of the device and a channel indicator corresponding to an encrypted second channel having video game data associated with the first video game to a content provider. The method includes receiving a decryption key for the encrypted second channel in response to verification of the identification of the device. The method also includes decrypting the encrypted second channel, beginning storage of the video game data in response to detecting a starting byte of the video game data, and ending storage of the video game data when the starting byte is redetected.

PRIORITY CLAIM

This application is a continuation of, and claims priority to, U.S.patent application Ser. No. 11/166,785, filed on Jun. 24, 2005, which ishereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application is related to U.S. patent application Ser. No.11/166,909, entitled “Networked Television and Method Thereof,” U.S.patent application Ser. No. 11/166,908, entitled “Video Game ConsoleModular Card and Method Thereof,” now abandoned, and U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 11/166,907, entitled “Audio Receiver Modular Cardand Method Thereof,” each of which is herein incorporated by referencein its entirety.

FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE

The present application relates generally to video game data and thedistribution thereof.

BACKGROUND

Video game data typically is supplied to a user in the form of aphysical medium, such as a compact disk (CD), a digital versatile disk(DVD), or a game cartridge. Obtaining a video game typically entailsvisiting a retailer to buy or rent a physical medium on which the videogame data is stored. This retailer-based rental/purchase process is timeconsuming and often is inconvenient for the user.

In an effort to make video games more readily available, some video gamesuppliers have made video game data available for download via theInternet. These Internet-based solutions require the use of a personalcomputer (PC) to navigate a web browser or other Internet-based utilityto a particular website where the video game data can be accessed. Whileproviding access to video game data, these conventional Internet-basedtechniques have a number of limitations. For one, the process ofnavigating to the appropriate website and initiating the download of thevideo game data often is time consuming and has potential for usererrors. Moreover, the video game data typically is formatted only foruse on the PC. Processing a video game on a PC typically involvesutilizing the core resources of the PC, such as the central processingunit (CPU) and the video card, in preparing the video and audio contentrepresentative of the game play. This reliance on the core components ofthe PC taxes the PC, often to the detriment of other processes beingexecuted by the PC. Moreover, due to their multiple-purposearchitecture, PCs do not have dedicated resources to provide the optimalgaming experience.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present disclosure is pointed out with particularity in the appendedclaims. However, other features are described in the following detaileddescription in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an exemplary networked television inaccordance with at least one embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary architecture of thenetworked television of FIG. 1 in accordance with at least oneembodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary multimedia decodermodular card architecture in accordance with at least one embodiment ofthe present disclosure.

FIG. 4 is a flow diagram illustrating an exemplary method for processingmultimedia data at a networked television in accordance with at leastone embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 5 is a flow diagram illustrating an exemplary method for providingmultimedia data to a networked television in accordance with at leastone embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an exemplary distribution of processedmultimedia content via a network in accordance with at least oneembodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an exemplary distribution of processedmultimedia data content via a wireless medium in accordance with atleast one embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 8 is a flow diagram illustrating an exemplary method fordistributing processed distributing multimedia content in accordancewith at least one embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 9 is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary audio receivermodular card architecture in accordance with at least one embodiment ofthe present disclosure.

FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an exemplary distribution of audiocontent to speakers via a wireless medium in accordance with at leastone embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 11 is a flow diagram illustrating an exemplary method forprocessing audio data at a networked television in accordance with atleast one embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 12 is a flow diagram illustrating an exemplary method for providingaudio data to a networked television for processing in accordance withat least one embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 13 is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary video game consolemodular card architecture in accordance with at least one embodiment ofthe present disclosure.

FIG. 14 is a flow diagram illustrating an exemplary method forprocessing video game data at a networked television in accordance withat least one embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 15 is a diagram illustrating an exemplary provision of video gamedata via one or more television channels in accordance with at least oneembodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 16 is a diagram illustrating an exemplary video game downloadselection display screen in accordance with at least one embodiment ofthe present disclosure.

FIG. 17 is a flow diagram illustrating an exemplary method for providingvideo game data via one or more transmission channels in accordance withat least one embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 18 is a flow diagram illustrating an exemplary method for obtainingvideo game data at a networked television in accordance with at leastone embodiment of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In accordance with one aspect of the present disclosure, a method isprovided. The method includes providing a multimedia data stream forreception by a display device. The multimedia data stream includes afirst channel having video content representing a first list ofavailable video games and corresponding channel identifiers and a secondchannel having video game data associated with a first video game of thefirst list. The second channel is associated with a first channelidentifier corresponding to the first video game.

In accordance with another aspect of the present disclosure, the methodincludes receiving, at a system including a display device, a multimediadata stream, wherein the multimedia data stream includes a first channelhaving video content representing a first list of available video gamesand corresponding channel identifiers and a second channel having videogame data associated with a first video game of the first list. Thesecond channel is associated with a first channel identifiercorresponding to the first video game. The method further includesproviding the video content representing the first list of availablevideo games for display. The method also includes receiving a user inputindicating a selection of the first channel identifier associated withthe first video game of the first list in response to display of thevideo content. The method additionally includes obtaining the video gamedata associated with the first video game from the second channel forstorage at the system in response to receiving the user input.

In accordance with yet another aspect of the present disclosure, asystem is provided. The system includes one or more storage devices tostore video game data associated with a plurality of video games and alist generation module to generate video content representing a firstlist of video games and corresponding channel identifiers. The systemfurther includes a multimedia stream generator coupled to the one ormore storage devices and the list generation module. The multimediastream generator generates a multimedia data stream for output. Themultimedia data stream includes at least a first channel having datarepresentative of the video content representing the first list of videogames and a second channel having video game data associated with afirst video game of the first list. The second channel is associatedwith a first channel identifier corresponding to the first video game.

In accordance with an additional aspect of the present disclosure, atelevision is provided. The television includes a display and a firstinterface to receive a multimedia data stream. The multimedia datastream includes a first channel having video content representing afirst list of available video games and a second channel having videogame data associated with a first video game of the first list. Thetelevision further includes a decoder to provide the video content tothe display. The television also includes a control interface to receivea user input indicating a selection of a channel identifier associatedwith the first video game of the first list in response to display ofthe video content. The television further includes a video game storageunit to obtain the video game data associated with the first video gamefrom the second channel in response to the user input, a first modularcard receptacle coupled to the first interface. The televisionadditionally includes a game console modular card coupled to the firstmodular card receptacle. The game console modular card processes thevideo game data and includes one or more controller inputs to receiveuser control signals related to game play and an output to provide videodata associated with the game play. The television is operable todisplay video content on the display promptly upon receipt of a requestto power up the television.

Referring to FIG. 1, an exemplary networked television 100 isillustrated in accordance with at least one embodiment of the presentdisclosure. As depicted, the television 100 includes a housing 101 thatcontains a display 102, e.g., a liquid crystal display or a plasmadisplay. Further, the housing 101 includes a plurality of user interfacebuttons 104, such as a power button, channel change buttons, volumecontrol buttons, and the like. The housing 101 also includes a remotecontrol interface 106, e.g., an infrared interface or a radio frequency(RF) interface, to receive remote control commands from a remote control108. In a particular embodiment, one or more operations of thetelevision 100 are responsive to the remote control commands. Thetelevision 100 further includes an interface panel 110 that isaccessible via an external surface of the housing 101, at a top, back orside surface of the housing 101. The interface panel 110 includes one ormore interfaces for receiving or outputting various forms of multimediadata. As shown, the interface panel 110 includes an IN component 112that includes, for example, an S-video receptacle 122 or audio/visualreceptacles 124. The interface panel 110 also includes a digitalversatile disk (DVD) IN component 114 that is configured to receivevideo data and audio data from an external DVD player or othermultimedia source. In particular, the DVD IN component 114 includes aplurality of receptacles 126 that can receive component video and audio.The panel 110 also can include an OUT component 116 that has receptacles128 to provide video data and/or audio data to another television orrecording device, such as a personal video recorder (PVR) or an externalDVD player/recorder. An RF antenna receptacle 120 also can beincorporated into the panel 110 to receive multimedia data via RFtransmissions.

In at least one embodiment, the panel 110 further includes a networkinterface 118 that includes a network receptacle 130 that can beconnected to any of a variety of packet-based data networks. Thereceptacle 130 can be connected to an Internet Protocol (IP)-basednetwork, e.g., an Ethernet network or an asynchronous transfer mode(ATM)-based network. Further, in a particular embodiment, the networkinterface 118 can include an Ethernet interface and as such, the networkreceptacle 130 can be an RJ-45 receptacle that is configured to receivean Ethernet cable that is connected to an Ethernet-based network. Thetelevision 100 can utilize the network interface 118 to receivemultimedia data, e.g., video data, audio data, or videogame data, over apacket-based network for processing at the television 100. Moreover, thenetwork interface 118 may be used by the television 100 to forwardinformation to another networked device, such as another networkedtelevision 100. The forwarded information may include, for example,processed multimedia data or information associated with the multimediadata, information associated with a video game being played at thetelevision 100, and the like.

As illustrated in FIG. 1, the panel 110 further can include one or moremodular card receptacles 132 (also commonly referred to as “expansionslots”) to interface with one or more modular cards (also commonlyreferred to as “expansion cards”) to enhance the functionality of thetelevision 100. The modular cards can include, for example, a multimediadecoder modular card 140, a wireless network interface modular card 142,an audio receiver modular card 144, a video game console modular card146, and the like. In a particular embodiment, the modular cardreceptacles 132 and the corresponding modular cards 140, 142, 144 and146 may be implemented using a standard architecture, such as aPeripheral Component Interconnect (PCI)-compliant architecture, anIndustry Standard Architecture (ISA)-compliant architecture, or aPersonal Computer Memory Card International Association(PCMCIA)-compliant architecture. Alternately, the modular cardreceptacles 132 and the corresponding modular cards 140, 142, 144 and146 may be implemented using a proprietary architecture, or acombination of standard and proprietary architectures. The wirelessnetwork interface modular card 142 includes an antenna 148 to transmitand receive wireless signals.

To customize the functionality of the television 100, modular cards maybe added to or removed from the television by inserting or removing themodular cards from their corresponding modular card receptacles. Forexample, the panel 110 may include an opening in the housing for eachmodular card receptacle 132 and each modular card receptacle 132 mayreceive a modular card that is inserted through the correspondingopening so that the contacts of the modular card receptacle interfaceare brought into secure contact with the contacts of the receivingmodular card receptacle 132. Alternately, part or all of the panel 110can be temporarily removed to install the modular card in a modular cardreceptacle 132. In at least one embodiment, some or all of the modularcards may include one or more interface receptacles that are accessibleat the panel 110 to interface with other components.

In a particular embodiment, the incorporation of one or more modularcards into the television 100 allows for an expansion of the availablefunctionality of the television 100. For example, the television 100 canincorporate the wireless network interface modular card 142 to providewireless connectivity for the transmission of information to othernetworked devices. Moreover, the television 100 may incorporate themultimedia decoder modular card 140 to process multimedia data. Theprocessing performed by the multimedia decoder modular card 140 mayinclude, for example, decoding or transcoding encoded multimedia data,encoding unencoded multimedia data, decrypting encrypted multimediadata, and the like.

In an illustrative embodiment, the multimedia data processed by thedecoder modular card 140 may be obtained from an external multimediadevice, such as a DVD player, via the interfaces 122-128. Alternatively,the multimedia data may be received as a multimedia data stream via thenetwork interface 118 or via the wireless interface modular card 142.The video content of the resulting processed multimedia data may bedisplayed on the display 102 or the resulting processed multimedia datamay be provided to one or more networked devices via the networkinterface 118 or the wireless network interface modular card 142.Various exemplary techniques for processing multimedia data using themultimedia decoder modular card 140 are discussed in greater detailherein with respect to FIGS. 3-8.

The television 100 can also incorporate the audio receiver modular card144 to process audio data for output to one or more speakers. In oneembodiment, the audio receiver modular card 144 provides many of thefeatures commonly found in separate stereo receivers. The audio data maybe received from an external audio device, e.g., a portable musicplayer, via one or more audio inputs 150. Alternately, the audio datamay be received via the network interface 118 or the wireless networkinterface modular card 142. The resulting processed audio data may beprovided to one or more wired speakers via speaker outputs 152 or theresulting processed audio data may be provided to one or more wirelessspeakers via, for example, the wireless network interface modular card142. Various exemplary techniques for processing audio data using theaudio receiver modular card 144 are discussed in greater detail hereinwith respect to FIGS. 9-12.

The television 100 further may incorporate the video game consolemodular card 146 to process video game data in response to controllerinput in order to generate game play for display at the display 102 andoutput via one or more speakers. The controller input relevant to thegame play may be received via one or more controller interfaces 156connected to corresponding game controllers, commonly referred to as“game pads” or “joysticks”, via wired or wireless connections. Videogame data processed by the video game console modular card 146 may beobtained from an external device, such as a DVD player that is capableof obtaining video game data from game CDs or DVDs. Additionally, thevideo game data may be obtained a networked device via the networkinterface 118 or the wireless network interface modular card 142.Moreover, the network interface 118 or the wireless network interfacemodular card 142 may be used to transmit game play information to othernetworked devices for use in, for example, a real-time multiple playervideo game. Various exemplary techniques for obtaining video game dataand for video game processing by the video game console modular card 146are discussed in greater detail herein with reference to FIGS. 14-18.

Referring to FIG. 2, an exemplary implementation 200 of the television100 is illustrated in accordance with at least one embodiment of thepresent disclosure. The television 100 includes one or more processors202, one or more storage devices, such as a random access memory (RAM)204, a read only memory or flash memory 206 or a hard disk 208, a directmemory access (DMA) controller 210 and a display controller 212 coupledto the display 102 (FIG. 1). The television 100 also can include anoverlay graphics generator 214, a network communications processor 216connected to the network interface 118, a conditional access unit 218,and an audio output 220. The television 100 further can include modularcard receptacles 222, 224, 226 and 228 connected to the multimediadecoder modular card 140, the audio receiver modular card 144, the videogame console modular card 146 and the wireless network interface modularcard 142, respectively. As depicted in FIG. 2, the television 100 canfurther include the remote control interface 106, the RF antennainterface 120, the IN component 112, the OUT component 114 and the DVDIN component 114 of the panel 110 (FIG. 1). In the illustrated example,some components of the television 100 can be connected via a first bus232 while other components can be connected via a second bus 234.Further, the busses 232 and 234 can be connected by a bus bridge 236.

The processor 202 can perform multimedia processing routines inaccordance with an operating system (OS) 230 and facilitates thefunctions performed by the modular cards that are connected to themodular card receptacles 222-228 of the television 100 by routinginformation between the components or by handling various aspects of thefunctions performed by the modular cards. In a particular embodiment, inorder to provide prompt, real-time interaction with a television user,e.g., by displaying video content promptly upon request, the OS 230 is areal-time OS having specific functionality that is configured tostreamline the operations of the processor 202 and limit the delaybetween receiving a user request and providing the requested action.

For example, in one embodiment, the OS 230 is stored in the flash memory206 when the television is powered down, and upon a user request topower up the television, e.g., via the user control buttons 104 or theremote control interface 106, at least a portion of the OS 230 is loadedinto a cache of the processor 202 so that the video content of a videodata source selected at power up is provided for display within at leastten seconds of receiving the request, or within five seconds or withintwo seconds of receiving the user request. Additionally, the streamlinedOS 230 can allow the television 100 to display video content promptlyupon receiving other types of user requests, such as a user request tochange television channels or a user request to activate game playassociated with video game data processed by the video game consolemodular card 146. As such, the television 100 can provide thetraditional television experience in which changes in the video contentdisplayed and/or the audio content output occur promptly in response tothe user's input as one or more requests.

During operation, the various components of the television 100communicate information via the busses 232 and 234 in order to performvarious multimedia-related functions. For example, the communicationsprocessor 216 provides communications protocol-specific processing fordata received via the network interface 118 and for data to betransmitted on a packet-based network via the network interface 118.Further, the communications processor 216 may implement one or morefunctions associated with, the Open Systems Interconnection (OSI)seven-layer model or the Telecommunications Protocol/Internet Protocol(TCP/IP) stack. During operation, incoming data that is processed by thecommunications processor 216 can be routed to one or more of thecomponents of the television 100 as appropriate. The DMA controller 210can control access to the RAM 204 and/or the ROM 206 by the componentsof the television 100. Moreover, the overlay graphics generator 214 cangenerates overlay graphics that overlay the display graphics that areoutput to the display 102 by the display controller 212.

In a particular embodiment, the modular cards 140-146 may communicateinformation with each other and with other components of the television,e.g., the processor 202 or the display controller 212, using the modularcard receptacles 222-228 and the bus 234. For example, the wirelessnetwork interface modular card 142 or the network interface 118 may beused to receive/transmit multimedia data for the decoder modular card140, receive/transmit audio data for the audio receiver modular card144, or receive/transmit video game data and related information for thevideo game console modular card 146. Alternately, multimedia data orvideo game data may be received via one or more of the RF antennainterface 120, the IN component 112, or the DVD IN component 114.Further, video data that represents video content may be provided fromthe decoder modular card 140 or the video game console modular card 146to the display controller 212 so that the video content is displayed bythe display 102. Similarly, audio data representing audio content may beprovided from the audio receiver modular card 144 to the audio output220 for output of the audio content by one or more speakers of thetelevision 100.

Referring to FIG. 3, an exemplary implementation of the multimediadecoder modular card 140 is illustrated in accordance with at least oneembodiment of the present disclosure. In the example depicted, themultimedia decoder modular card 140 includes a modular card receptacleinterface 302, an input buffer 304, a decryption module 305, a parser306, a video decoder 308, a video output buffer 310, an audio decoder312 and an audio output buffer 314. In a particular embodiment, theincoming buffer 304 and the output buffers 310 and 314 may beimplemented together as a single buffer.

During operation, incoming multimedia data that is to be processed bythe decoder modular card 140 is buffered in the incoming buffer 304. Inat least one embodiment, the multimedia data is part of an MPEG datastream. Accordingly, the parser 306 parses the multimedia data toidentify the relevant video and/or audio data to be processed. Then, theparser 306 provides the video data to the video decoder 308. The videodecoder 308 decodes, or transcodes, the video data and the resultingdecoded/transcoded data can be stored in the outgoing video buffer 310before being provided to the bus 234 (FIG. 2) for transmission to one ormore components of the television 100. Similarly, the audio decoder 312decodes or transcodes the audio data. Audio data is decoded/transcodedby the audio decoder 312 and the resulting decoded/transcoded audio datais buffered in the outgoing audio buffer 314 before being provided tothe bus 234 for transmission to one or more other components of thetelevision 100.

Alternately, in one embodiment, the received multimedia data includesunencoded multimedia data. In this instance, the video decoder 308 alsomay provide a video encoder to encode the video data to generate encodedvideo data (e.g., MPEG data) and the audio decoder 312 may include anaudio encoder to encode the audio data to generate encoded audio data.

In at least one embodiment, the received multimedia data is encrypted orotherwise protected to prevent unauthorized access to the multimediacontent. Accordingly, in at least one embodiment the integrated decodermodular card 140 further comprises a decryption module 305 to processthe protected multimedia data to generate unprotected multimedia datausing a decryption key 307 supplied by, for example, a provider of theprotected multimedia data. In one embodiment, the decryption module 305processes the protected multimedia data before it is provided to theparser 306. Alternately, the decryption module 305 could be implementedat the output of the parser 306 or as part of the decoders 308 and 312.

Referring to FIG. 4, an exemplary method 400 for processing multimediadata at a networked television is illustrated in accordance with atleast one embodiment of the present disclosure. The method 400 includesreceiving a multimedia data stream at the network interface 118 of thetelevision 100 at block 402. At block 404, video data from themultimedia data stream is processed at a multimedia decoder of thetelevision to generate video content. At block 406, audio data from themultimedia data stream is processed at the multimedia decoder of thetelevision to generate audio content. The multimedia decoder may includea multimedia decoder that is integrated into a core processing componentof the television (e.g., an MPEG decoder chip) or the multimedia decodermay include a multimedia decoder modular card 140, as illustrated inFIGS. 1-3. Further, in one embodiment, the audio data and video data areprocessed by separate components. To illustrate, the audio data can beprocessed by, for example, the audio receiver modular card 144 whereasthe video data can be processed by an integrated multimedia decoder orthe multimedia decoder modular card 140. At block 408, the video contentis provided to the display 102 of the television 100 for viewing by auser. At block 410, the audio content is provided for output to one ormore speakers. The speakers receiving the audio content may be speakersintegrated with the television 100 or they may include, for example,speakers wired to the speaker outputs 152 (FIG. 1) or speakerswirelessly connected to the television 100 via the wireless networkinterface modular card 142 (FIG. 1).

Referring to FIG. 5, an exemplary method 500 for providing multimediadata to the television 100 is illustrated in accordance with at leastone embodiment of the present disclosure. The method 500 includesproviding a first data stream including multimedia data from a contentprovider to the television 100 via a packet-based network, such as, forexample, an IP-compliant network at block 502. As noted above, thetelevision 100, in one embodiment, includes a network interface 118(FIG. 1) to a packet-based network to receive multimedia data and amultimedia decoder to process the multimedia data. As noted above, thecontent provider may seek to limit distribution of the multimediacontent represented by the multimedia data. Accordingly, at block 504,the content provider can provide an indicator of a maximum number oftelevisions authorized to receive the multimedia content represented bythe first data stream. In response to this indicator, the television 100can provide data representative of the multimedia content to a number ofnetworked devices at block 506, where the number of networked devicesreceiving the multimedia content is limited based on the indicator.Further, in one embodiment, the content provider may bill the user ofthe television 100 for services that include providing the first datastream. Moving to 508, billing is performed for a service that includesproviding the first data stream.

Referring to FIGS. 6-8, an exemplary technique for redistributingmultimedia data is illustrated in accordance with at least oneembodiment of the present disclosure. As depicted by FIG. 6, amultimedia content provider 602 (e.g., an operation maintained by acable television provider or telecommunications company) may be coupledto television 606 via a packet-based network 604, such as, for example,the Internet or a private network. As part of a broadcast, or inresponse to a user request, the content provider 602 provides encodedmultimedia data 612 to the television 606 via the network 604. Theencoded multimedia data 612 is received at the television 606 via anetwork interface (e.g., network interface 118, FIG. 1) connected to thenetwork 604. The multimedia data 612 can be processed by a multimediadecoder of the television 606 (e.g., multimedia decoder modular card140, FIG. 1) to generate processed multimedia data 614. Variousoperations performed on the multimedia data 612 by the television 606 togenerate the processed multimedia data 614 may include decoding ortranscoding the multimedia data 612, decrypting the multimedia data 612,and the like.

The resulting processed multimedia data 614 can be provided to one ormore networked devices for further processing and/or display. In theexample illustrated by FIG. 6, the processed multimedia data 614 istransmitted to another television 608 via the network 604. Thetelevision 608 may further process the multimedia data 614 for displayor for storage. In the example illustrated by FIG. 7, the processedmultimedia data 614 may be communicated wirelessly between thetelevision 606 and the television 608 using wireless transceivers 702and 704, respectively. The wireless transceivers 702 and 704 may beimplemented as, for example, the wireless network interface modular card142 (FIG. 1).

FIG. 8 illustrates an exemplary method 800 for redistributing multimediacontent as described with respect to FIGS. 6 and 7. The method 800includes receiving a first multimedia data stream at a first networkinterface of a television at block 802, wherein the first networkinterface is coupled to a packet-based network. The first multimediadata stream may be provided as a scheduled broadcast or may be providedby a content provider in response to a user request for the firstmultimedia data stream. At block 804, the first multimedia data streamis processed at a multimedia decoder of the television to generate asecond multimedia data stream. The multimedia decoder can include, forexample, an integrated multimedia decoder or the multimedia decodermodular card 140 (FIG. 1). The processing performed on the firstmultimedia data stream can include, for example, decoding the firstmultimedia data stream or transcoding the first multimedia data stream.Moreover, in one embodiment, the first multimedia data stream mayinclude protected multimedia data. Accordingly, the processing performedon the first multimedia data stream further may include decrypting thefirst multimedia data stream including the protected multimedia data. Atblock 806, the second multimedia data stream is provided to a networkeddevice via a second network interface of the television. The secondmultimedia data stream may be provided via the same packet-based networkused to receive the first multimedia data stream. In this case, thesecond network interface and the first network interface may be the samenetwork interface. Alternately, the second multimedia data stream may beprovided via another packet-based network (e.g., a wireless network) andtherefore may be a different network interface than the first networkinterface.

The exemplary techniques illustrated in FIGS. 6-8 allow a singletelevision to act as the distribution point for multimedia contentreceived from a content provider. To illustrate, because the television100, in one embodiment, decodes and/or decrypts the encoded multimediadata 612 to generate unencoded and/or decrypted multimedia data 614, thenetworked devices receiving the multimedia data 614 (e.g., television608) do not need to utilize a decoder and/or decryption module toprocess the multimedia data for display as video and/or audio content.As a result, the decoding/decryption components of the networked devicesreceiving the multimedia data 614 may be disabled, thereby reducing thepower consumption of the networked devices. Moreover, the networkeddevices may be supplied without decoding/decryption components, therebyreducing their complexity and cost.

Referring to FIGS. 9 and 10, an exemplary implementation of the audioreceiver modular card 144 is illustrated in accordance with at least oneembodiment of the present disclosure. As illustrated, the audio receivermodular card 144, in one embodiment, includes a modular card receptacleinterface 902, a buffer 904, one or more digital signal processors(DSPs) 906, a digital-to-analog converter (DAC) 908, an RF interface910, an analog-to-digital converter (ADC) 912, a display control module914, the audio input 150 and one or more speaker outputs 922, 924, 926,928, and 930.

In operation, audio data to be processed can be received from othercomponents of the television via the modular card receptacle interface902 or from an external audio source via the audio input 150 or via anRF transmission received at the RF interface 910 and converted todigital data by the ADC 912. The received audio data can be buffered inthe buffer 904 until accessed by the DSP 906 for processing. Processingoperations performed by the DSP 906 can include, for example, decoding(e.g., decoding from an MPEG or MP3 format), decryption, filtering,stereo enhancement, equalization and the like. For example, in oneembodiment the DSP 906 performs surround sound processing of the audiodata consistent with one or more surround sound standards, such as DolbyDigital 5.1, Dolby Digital Theater System (DTS) Surround, THX SurroundEXTM, and the like.

The resulting processed audio data may be provided to one or more othercomponents of the television via the modular card receptacle interface902. For example, the processed audio data may be provided for output toone or more wired speakers via the speaker outputs 922, 924, 926, 928,and 930 after digital-to-analog conversion by the DAC 908. In theillustrated example, the speaker output 922 connects to a right rear(RR) speaker, the speaker output 924 connects to a right front (RF)speaker, the speaker output 926 connects to a center speaker, thespeaker output 928 connects to a left front (LF) speaker and the speakeroutput 930 connects to a left rear (LR) speaker. Alternately, asillustrated with reference to FIG. 10, the processed audio data(illustrated as audio data 1001) can be provided from the audio receivermodular card 144 to the wireless network interface modular card 142 fortransmission to one or more wireless speakers 1002, 1004, 1006, and1008.

In at least one embodiment, the display control module 914 providesdisplay content representing information about the audio receivermodular card 144 for display on the display 102 (FIG. 1). For example,the display control module 914 may provide graphical data representingequalization settings, where the graphical content of the graphical datais laid over video content from another source on the display 102. Otherinformation for display can include, for example, volume settings,speaker setup, artist and track information, and the like. Moreover, inone embodiment, the operation of the audio receiver card module 144 isresponsive to user commands (e.g., remote control commands). Forexample, after displaying the current equalization settings on thedisplay 102, remote control commands from a user representing a desiredchange in equalization settings can be received by the display controlmodule 914. In response, the display control module 914 can send asignal to the DSP 906 to change the equalization settings as well asprovide updated equalization settings graphical display information fordisplay by the display 102 so that the user can visually confirm thatthe requested changes are made. Other operations affected by user inputcan include, for example, volume settings, channel selection, trackselection, speaker setup, surround sound settings, and the like.

Referring to FIG. 11, an exemplary method 1100 for providing audio datafor processing at a networked television is illustrated in accordancewith at least one embodiment of the present disclosure. The method 1100includes providing an audio data stream to the television via apacket-based network at block 1102. In one embodiment, the televisioncomprises an exterior interface panel including a plurality of interfaceconnections, a network interface to the packet based network to receivethe multimedia data, and an audio receiver modular card (e.g., audioreceiver modular card 144, FIG. 1) to process the audio data stream. Incertain instances, a content provider may attempt to protect the audiodata stream by encrypting the audio data. In such instances, the audioreceiver modular card may have access to a decryption key provided bythe content provider, at block 1104, or otherwise made available to theaudio receiver modular card. The audio receiver modular card thus mayuse this decryption key to decrypt or otherwise decode the protectedaudio data. At block 1106, a user of the television is billed forservices including providing the audio data stream to the television.For example, the user may have subscribed to a service and may receive amonthly bill.

Referring to FIG. 12, an exemplary method 1200 for processing audio datausing the audio receiver modular card 144 is illustrated in accordancewith at least one embodiment of the present disclosure. The method 1200includes receiving first audio data at an audio receiver modular card ofa television via a first network interface of the television (e.g.,network interface 118 of television 100, FIG. 1) at block 1202. At block1204, the first audio data is processed at the audio receiver modularcard to generate second audio data. Processing operations performed bythe audio receiver modular card may include, for example, decoding,filtering, formatting, and the like. At block 1206, the second audiodata is provided for output to one or more speakers. In one embodiment,the second audio data is provided to one or more speakers via one ormore speaker outputs of the audio receiver modular card. In an alternateembodiment, the second audio data is wirelessly transmitted to one ormore wireless speakers via a wireless network interface of thetelevision (e.g., wireless network interface modular card 142, FIG. 1).

Referring to FIG. 13, an exemplary implementation of the video gameconsole modular card 146 is illustrated in accordance with oneembodiment of the present disclosure. In the depicted example, the gameconsole modular card 146 includes a modular card receptacle interface1302 for connecting to a modular card receptacle of the networkedtelevision 100 (FIG. 2), flash memory 1304, one or more processors 1306,RAM 1308, ROM 1310, a hard disk 1312, a graphics engine 1314, a videogame tuner 1316, and one or more game controller interfaces 156.

In operation, video game data is provided to the television 100 via anetwork or by an external video game data source, such as a DVD player.The video game data is forwarded to the game console modular card 146via the modular card receptacle interface 1302. The video game data maybe stored in flash memory 1304, RAM 1308 and/or the hard disk 1312. Thevideo game tuner 1316 manages the storage of video game data supplied tothe television via one or more transmission channels.

The processor 1306 executes instructions represented by the video gamedata in response to user game controller signals received via the gamecontroller interfaces 156. As noted above, the game controllerinterfaces 156 may include interfaces to wired game controllers or mayinclude wireless interfaces to wireless game controllers. Datarepresenting the video content of the game play is provided to thegraphics engine 1314 whereupon the data is rendered into display datafor output to the display 102 (FIG. 1) of the television. Datarepresenting the audio content is processed by the processor 1306 or byan audio decoder (not shown) of the modular card 146. Alternately, theaudio data is provided to the audio receiver card 144 or to themultimedia decoder card 140 for processing. The resulting audio contentis output to one or more speakers associated with the television (e.g.,integrated speakers or speakers connected via the audio receiver modularcard 144, FIG. 1). The data representative of the video/audio contentcan be provided to a core component of the television 100 (e.g., theprocessor 202 or a dedicated television graphics engine) via the modularcard receptacle interface 1302 for rendering into display data andoutput audio content.

In some instances, the game play represented by the video game data maybe multiplayer game play that occurs among multiple players in separatelocations. Accordingly, in at least one embodiment, the processor 1306provides game play information for transmission by other game consolesinvolved in the same game play. To illustrate, the game play informationis provided to the other components of the television 100 via themodular card receptacle interface 1302, whereby the game playinformation may be communicated to other networked game consoles via thenetwork interface 118 (FIG. 1) or wirelessly communicated to otherwireless game consoles via the wireless network interface modular card142 (FIG. 1).

Referring to FIG. 14, an exemplary method 1400 for processing video gamedata at a video game console modular card of a television is illustratedin accordance with at least one embodiment of the present disclosure.The method 1400 includes receiving video game data at the television viaa network interface to a packet-based network at block 1402. In oneembodiment, the video game data is received as part of a multimedia datastream transmitted by a multimedia content provider via the packet-basednetwork. For example, the video game data could be represented by one ormore transmission channels of the multimedia data stream. At block 1404,at least a portion of the video game data is provided to the gameconsole modular card (e.g., the game console modular card 146) via afirst modular card receptacle of the television. At block 1406, thevideo game data is processed to provide game play content for display bythe television, wherein the game play content is based on user controlsignals received via one or more game controller interfaces of the gameconsole modular card. At block 1408, video game data associated with thegame play is rendered at a graphics engine of the game console modularcard to generate rendered display data, and, at block 1410, the rendereddisplay data is provided for display via the first modular cardreceptacle. At block 1412, game play information is communicated withone or more networked devices (e.g., other networked televisions havinggame console modular cards) via the first network interface or via asecond network interface, such as a wireless network interface modularcard.

Referring to FIGS. 15-18, exemplary techniques for providing video gamedata via one or more transmission channels are illustrated in accordancewith at least one embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 15illustrates an exemplary video game distribution system 1500 including avideo game provider 1502 and a networked device 1504 connected via anetwork 1506. The networked device 1504 may include any of a variety ofdevices capable of receiving and processing multimedia transmissionscomprising a plurality of transmission channels (such as, for example, adigital cable transmission or a satellite television transmission). Forease of illustration, the networked device 1504 is discussed in thecontext of a networked television as described in detail above.

In the illustrated embodiment, the video game provider 1502 includesvideo game data storage 1510 for storing video game data associated withone or more video games, a list generator 1512, a multimedia streamgenerator 1514, and an authentication module 1516.

In operation, the multimedia stream generator 1514 generates one or moremultimedia data streams 1520 for transmission to the networked device1504. In addition to transmission channels having conventional videoand/or audio data representative of television programs or radioprograms, such as video channels 1521 and 1522, one or more transmissionchannels of the multimedia data stream 1520 can include video game data,such as game channels 1523-1525. Accordingly, to download the video gamedata associated with a particular video game, the networked device 1504may select the game channel of the multimedia data stream 1520associated with a desired video game and may store video game datatransmitted via the selected channel.

To illustrate, a user of the networked device 1504 may provide a remotecontrol command or other user input that causes the networked device to“tune” to a transmission channel selected by the user. Once “tuned” tothis channel, the networked device 1504 may provide a request for theassociated video game data from the video game provider 1502. Theauthentication module 1516 authenticates an identifier associated withthe user request to determine whether the user is authorized to accessthe video game data. If so authorized, the multimedia stream generator1514 obtains the requested video game data from the video game datastorage 1510 and inserts the requested video game data into theappropriate game channel of the multimedia data stream 1520. Theauthentication module 1516 further may store the request for video gamedata for billing purposes associated with providing the requested videogame data.

Alternately, the video game data associated with one or more video gamesmay be inserted by the multimedia stream generator 1514 in a repeatingmanner. In this instance, once the networked device 1504 is “tuned” tothe selected game channel, the networked device 1504 may delay storingthe video game data in the selected game channel until the starting byteof the video game data is retransmitted in the next iteration. Ratherthan waiting for the starting byte of the video game data, the networkeddevice 1504 instead can identify an entry point where the networkeddevice 1504 began storing video game data transmitted in the selectedgame channel and can cease storing video game data when the identifiedentry point is encountered again during the next transmit iteration ofthe video game data. For example, if the networked device 1504 tunes tothe selected channel and starts recording the video game data at byte1000, the networked device 1504 would continue to record the video gamedata through the end byte of the present iteration until byte 999 of thenext iteration is encountered. Thus, the networked device 1504 can storethe entire video game data without delaying until the start of the nextiteration of the transmission of the video game data in the selectedtransmission channel.

The association of video games and their corresponding transmissionchannels may be provided to a user in any of a variety of ways. Forexample, a printed publication could be provided that indicates whichtransmission channels are used to carry the video game data of certainvideo games. However, the use of a printed publication typically resultsin a static assignment of channels and may cause inconvenience on thepart of the user if the printed publication is misplaced or otherwiseunavailable. Accordingly, in at least one embodiment, the list generator1512 generates one or more lists for display as video content, where thelists, when displayed, provide an indication of available video gamesand identifiers (e.g., channel numbers) of their correspondingtransmission channels. An exemplary display of a list is discussed belowwith reference to FIG. 16. The lists of available video games may beorganized by any of a variety of characteristics, such as rankings,genres, costs, system requirements, and the like. To illustrate, thelist generator 1512 can generate, for example, a list of the top fivevideo game rentals, a list of the top ten bestselling video games, alist of newly introduced video games, a list of action/adventure videogames, a list of role-playing video games, a list of video gamessuitable for children, and other lists.

Multimedia data representative of the one or more generated lists can beprovided to the networked device 1504 as one or more list channels, suchas list channels 1526 and 1527, of the multimedia data stream 1520.Accordingly, when the networked device 1504 is “tuned” to a listchannel, the network device 1504 may provide the video contentrepresentative of the list associated with the selected list channel fordisplay at the networked device. The user, upon viewing the videocontent representative of the list, may ascertain the transmissionchannel carrying data for the video game in which the user isinterested. The user then can direct the networked device 1504 to “tune”to the identified transmission channel (using, for example, remotecontrol commands) so that the video game data can be obtained from theidentified transmission channel and stored (e.g., at the hard disk 1312of the video game console modular card 146, FIG. 13) for subsequent use.

Referring to FIG. 16, an exemplary display of a list of video games at anetworked device (e.g., the television 100, FIG. 1) is illustrated inaccordance with at least one embodiment of the present disclosure. Inthe depicted example, the displayed list 1600 provides a listing of fiveavailable video games (video games A, B, C, D and E) identified as beingthe top five in rental frequency. Each video game listed also includes avisual indicator of the transmission channel that carries the video gamedata representing the video game. For example, the visual indicator mayinclude “select channel” icons 1602, 1604, 1606, 1608, and 1610corresponding to video games A, B, C, D, and E, respectively, where theicons 1602, 1604, 1606, 1608, and 1610 provide a visual representationof the corresponding transmission channels (e.g., channels 101, 102,103, 104, and 105). The displayed list 1600 further may include screenshots 1612, 1614, 1616, 1618, and 1620 for one or more of the listedvideo games, as well as written descriptions, critic reviews or ratingsof the listed video games (not shown).

Referring to FIG. 17, an exemplary method 1700 for providing video gamedata as one or more transmission channels of a multimedia data stream isillustrated in accordance with at least one embodiment of the presentdisclosure. At block 1702, a multimedia data stream is provided forreception by a display device, where the multimedia data stream includesa first channel having video content representing a first list ofavailable video games and their corresponding channel identifiers and asecond channel having video game data associated with a first video gameof the first list and where the second channel is associated with afirst channel identifier corresponding to the first video game. Themultimedia data stream also can include other channels associated withother video games. The multimedia data stream can be provided as, forexample, a digital cable television transmission or a satellitetelevision transmission, a multimedia data stream transmitted over apacket-switched network. In at least one embodiment, the display deviceis a networked device, such as a networked television as discussedabove.

To discourage unauthorized access, the video game data can be encrypted,such as at the video game content provider, prior to providing themultimedia data stream or prior to inserting the video game data intothe multimedia data stream. Accordingly, a decryption key that is usedto decrypt the encrypted video game data may be provided by the videogame content provider or otherwise made available to the networkeddevice. In one embodiment, the identification of the networked device isverified prior to providing or making the decryption key available. Thisverification process may include verifying that the particular displaydevice and/or a particular user are authorized to use the video gamedata.

In one embodiment, the video game data associated with the first videogame is provided in a continuous loop as the second transmissionchannel. Alternately, the video game data associated with the firstvideo game is provided by a video game content provider in response to auser request for the video game data from the networked device. The userrequest may be initiated by a user remote control command directing thenetworked device to tune to the transmission channel identified by thefirst channel identifier.

As noted above, the multimedia data stream may represent thetransmission of multimedia content in accordance with a serviceagreement or arrangement between a user and a content provider.Accordingly, at block 1704 the user's access of the video game data fromthe second channel is noted at the content provider and a charge isincluded in a billing statement sent to the user for the service thatincludes providing the multimedia data stream.

Referring to FIG. 18, an exemplary method 1800 for obtaining video gamedata from one or more channels of a multimedia data stream isillustrated in accordance with at least one embodiment of the presentdisclosure. The method 1800 includes receiving a multimedia data streamat a system including a display device at block 1802. The multimediadata stream includes a first channel having video content representing afirst list of available video games and their corresponding channelidentifiers and a second channel having video game data associated witha first video game of the first list. The second channel is associatedwith a first channel identifier corresponding to the first video game.In one embodiment, the system includes a networked television (e.g.,television 100, FIG. 1) having a game console modular card (e.g., gameconsole modular card 146, FIG. 1) to process the received data. In oneembodiment, the storage of video game data at a hard disk 1312 (FIG. 13)of the game console modular card 146 is handled by the video game tuner1316.

At block 1804, the video content representing the first list of games isprovided for display at the display device. In the event that the systemincludes a networked television as described above, the networkedtelevision may include a decoder, such as an integrated decoder or adecoder modular card 140 (FIG. 1) to generate display datarepresentative of the video content of the first channel for viewing bythe user. At block 1806, user input indicating a selection of the firstchannel identifier associated with the first video game of the firstlist is received in response to display of the video content. The userinput may include, for example, a request to “tune” the system to thetransmission channel associated with the first channel identifier, wherethe request may be a remote control command or input received via, forexample, a channel change button.

At block 1808, the video game data associated with the first video gamefrom the second channel is obtained for storage at the system inresponse to receiving the user input. As noted above, the video gamedata may be provided in a single transmission at a predetermined time orin a continuous loop or the video game data can be added to themultimedia data stream in response to a request by the user. In theevent that the data is provided in a continuous loop, obtaining thevideo game data can include identifying a start position within apresent loop of the video game data and continuing to store the videogame data until a corresponding position to the start position isencountered for the next loop of the video game data. In the event thatthe video game data is encrypted, at block 1810, a decryption key can bereceived at the system in response to a verification of anidentification of the system. At block 1812, the video game data can bedecrypted using the decryption key. In the event that the systemincludes the networked television 100, the obtained video game data canbe stored at the hard disk 1312 (FIG. 13) of the video game consolemodular card 146 of the television 100 for subsequent processing toprovide game play to a user.

The above-disclosed subject matter is to be considered illustrative, andnot restrictive, and the appended claims are intended to cover all suchmodifications, enhancements, and other embodiments, which fall withinthe scope of the present disclosure. Thus, to the maximum extent allowedby law, the scope of the present disclosure is to be determined by thebroadest permissible interpretation of the following claims and theirequivalents, and shall not be restricted or limited by the foregoingdetailed description.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method comprising: receiving a multimedia datastream from a content provider at processor of a device, wherein themultimedia data stream comprises a first channel having video contentrepresenting a first list of available video games and correspondingchannel identifiers and an encrypted second channel having video gamedata associated with a first video game of the first list; sending, viathe processor, data of the first channel to a display device coupled tothe device to generate a presentation of the available video games;receiving user input selecting the first video game from thepresentation at the processor; sending, via the processor, anidentification of the device and a channel indicator corresponding tothe encrypted second channel to the content provider in response to theuser input; receiving, at the processor, a decryption key for theencrypted second channel in response to verification of theidentification of the device; decrypting the encrypted second channelwith the processor; beginning storage of the video game data decodedfrom the encrypted second channel to a video game storage unit inresponse to detecting a starting byte of the video game data; and endingstorage of the video game data decoded from the encrypted second channelin response to re-detecting the starting byte.
 2. The method of claim 1,further comprising sending the video game data to a game console modularcard to process the video game data to generate a first video gamedisplay and to send the first video game display to the display device.3. The method of claim 1, further comprising sending the video game datato one or more second devices coupled to the device by a network.
 4. Themethod of claim 3, further comprising receiving a limitation number ofdevices from the content provider, wherein a number of devices of theone or more second devices that receive the video game data from thedevice does not exceed the limitation number.
 5. The method of claim 1,wherein the available video games identified in the first listcorrespond to a particular category of video games.
 6. The method ofclaim 1, wherein the user input is received via a remote control deviceassociated with the device.
 7. A system comprising: a first interface toreceive a multimedia data stream, wherein the multimedia data streamcomprises a first channel having video content representing a first listof available video games and an encrypted second channel having videogame data associated with a video game included in the first list; adecoder to send a presentation of the first channel to a display device;a control interface to receive user input that indicates a selection ofa channel identifier associated with the video game from thepresentation; a video game storage unit to: send an identification ofthe system and an identifier of the second channel to a contentprovider; and receive a decryption key to decrypt the video game data ofthe encrypted second channel in response to verification of theidentification of the system by the content provider; and obtain videogame data associated with the video game by decoding the encryptedsecond channel using the decryption key, wherein the video game storageunit is configured to initiate storage of the video game data inresponse to detecting a starting byte of the video game data is detectedand to cease storage of the video game data in response to detecting thestarting byte again; and a first modular card receptacle coupled to thefirst interface, the first modular card receptacle configured to receivea game console modular card to process the video game data.
 8. Thesystem of claim 7, further comprising the game console modular cardcoupled to the first modular card receptacle.
 9. The system of claim 8,wherein the video game storage unit is a component of the game consolemodular card.
 10. The system of claim 8, wherein the game consolemodular card sends a display of the video game to the display device.11. The system of claim 7, wherein the decoder is configured to decodethe encrypted second channel to generate unencrypted second channeldata.
 12. The system of claim 11, wherein the decoder is configured todistribute the unencrypted second channel data to one or more networkeddevices.
 13. The system of claim 7, wherein the first interfacecomprises at least one of a network interface to a packet-based networkand a cable interface to receive a digital cable television transmissionincluding the multimedia data stream.
 14. The system of claim 7, whereinthe user input is received at the control interface from a remotecontrol device.
 15. A computer-readable storage device comprisinginstructions executable by a processor to perform operations comprising:receiving a multimedia data stream from a content provider, wherein themultimedia data stream comprises a first channel having video contentrepresenting a first list of available video games for a particular gamecategory and corresponding channel identifiers, and an encrypted secondchannel having video game data associated with a first video game of thefirst list; sending the first channel to a display device to display apresentation of the available video games; receiving user inputselecting the first video game from the presentation; send anidentification of a system and a channel indicator corresponding to theencrypted second channel to the content provider in response to the userinput; receiving a decryption key for the encrypted second channel inresponse to verification of the identification of the system by thecontent provider; decrypting the encrypted second channel to generate adecoded second channel; beginning storage of the video game data fromthe decoded second channel to a video game storage unit in response todetecting a starting byte of the video game data; ending storage of thevideo game data when the starting byte is redetected; and sending thevideo game data to a game console card to process the video game data.16. The computer-readable storage device of claim 15, wherein theoperations further comprise sending information corresponding to theselection of the first video game to the content provider for billingpurposes.
 17. The computer-readable storage device of claim 15, whereinthe operations further comprise distributing the video game data to oneor more networked devices.
 18. The computer-readable storage device ofclaim 15, wherein the video game storage unit is a component of the gameconsole card.
 19. The computer-readable storage device of claim 15,wherein the user input is received via a remote control interface thatreceives remote control commands from a remote control device.
 20. Thecomputer-readable storage device of claim 15, wherein the presentationincludes a screen shot of the first video game.